Stop the nonsense on START

Christmas is coming. But apparently the Senate Republicans didn’t get the memo.

Despite getting everything they wanted by securing $800 billion in tax cuts for
the richest 1.5 percent of Americans when they should have received a sock full
o’coal for holding hostage tax cuts for every American to secure their deal,
the Republicans are still in a very grumpy and non-Christmassy mood.

Most of the adults in the Republican Party still don’t play politics with
national security. Every living Republican former secretary of State and
Defense and former Republican presidents have called on the Senate to ratify
the treaty. But the Republicans in Congress aren’t led by adults. They are led
by partisan hacks like McConnell, who famously and spitefully pledged to do all
he could to ensure President Obama is not reelected. If that means blocking a
bilateral agreement with bipartisan support and endangering our national
security, so be it. Politics comes first.

McConnell claims he needs more time. Hogwash. The treaty was signed more than 8
months ago and has suffered delay after delay as the Republicans practiced
their blockade politics all year long. McConnell also complains that the
process has been “trifurcated,” with other important issues being considered at
the same time. That’s an interesting posture to take by the man who will
presumably spend the next two years continuing the blockage of progress while
making the case that he should be placed in charge of the Senate. “Hire me,
America, I’m incapable of walking and chewing gum at the same time,” he’s
saying.

The GOP is happy to endanger our national security over petty politics. They
will do anything to weaken our president and in turn our country. They’ll root
for the recession to continue. They’ll repeal healthcare for 32 million
Americans. They’ll block treaties to reduce nuclear weapons.

The Republicans are demonstrating their duplicity and lack of seriousness.
Honest disagreements are acceptable, but delaying tactics, political posturing
and putting the lives of Americans at risk, as McConnell and his gang of
No-sayers are doing every day, is contemptible. It’s time to stop the nonsense
and pass New START before Christmas comes.

David Di Martino is CEO of Blue Line Strategic Communications Inc. The
views expressed in this blog are his and do not necessarily represent Blue
Line’s. Follow David: @bluelinedd.